Forward Prizes for Poetry Shortlists - Most prestigious awards for poetry in Britain and Ireland.

04-Jun-2014

The Forward Prizes for Poetry are the most prestigious awards for poetry in Britain and Ireland. They were set up in 1991 to celebrate excellence in new writing, and are awarded to published poets for work in print in the last year.

The three prizes – £10,000 for Best Collection, £5,000 for Best First Collection and £1,000 for Best Single Poem – are unique in honouring both the work of established poets and the debuts of brilliant unknowns.

This year’s judging panel is chaired by writer and broadcaster Jeremy Paxman. The other judges include three poets – Dannie Abse, Helen Mort and Vahni Capildeo – and the singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday 30th September 2014 at London’s Southbank centre. Work by all shortlisted and highly commended poets will be published in the annual Forward Book of Poetry.

And this is what the chairman of the judges, Jeremy Paxman, had to say about them:

“What you’re looking for is to be surprised: sometimes by the choice of subject, always by the quality of perception and above all by the language. There’s a whole pile of really good poems here. I surrendered my personal preferences very early on in the judging process but there’s nothing on the shortlist that I don’t feel better for having read.”

Shortlisted for the £10,000 Forward Prize for Best Collection:

Colette Bryce The Whole & Rain-Domed Universe
John Burnside All One Breath
Louise Glück Faithful and Virtuous Night
Kei Miller The Cartographer Tries to Map A Way to Zion
Hugo Williams I Knew the Bride

Shortlisted for the £5,000 Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection: